Anyone interested in tennis and watching Spanish superstar Rafael Nadal play will notice something unusual: the intimidating cruelty inherent in the athlete’s body language, expressed through several characteristics; The strong moan on the second shot, or his aggressive shot, was so forceful that every finger was protected by tape. Sometimes, the calluses on his hands bleed.
Rafael Nadal is like a machine on a tennis court, running at full speed without stopping. His eyes are cold and focused, and every build-up is a matter of life and death; luckily, not in reality, but in game—in his game—dressed to perfection.
Rafael Nadal’s tourbillon
The force that Rafael Nadal’s special racket has to withstand is enormous. Nadal has a special technique of using his wrist to give the tennis ball a special spin with each stroke. On the pitch, no player can get more spin on the ball.
Ten years ago now, the watchmaker fake Richard Mille inspired him to develop a watch that could withstand this force on the wrist. Not only that, but he also decided that it should be a tourbillon – a highly refined, sensitive mechanism. The idea was both ridiculous and ingenious, and Richard Mille was able to grab the attention of Rafael Nadal. On the first try, when Richard Mille strapped a watch with a platinum case around the athlete’s wrist, Nadal was visibly confused by the heavy weight. Of course, Richard Mille’s mental trick was simply to use a heavy watch against him first, instead of immediately handing him the RM 027 Tourbillon Rafael Nadal, which weighs only 20 grams. Nadal was excited. In 2010, he won the U.S. Open for the first time and, more importantly, won the championship for the first time wearing a watch.
That was a decade ago, and seven more models followed that were always technologically superior to the rest, making waves in both aesthetics and price. The two perfectionists, Richard Miller and Rafael Nadal, have become close friends, often meeting privately off the court. “When I’m with Richard Mille, I don’t get bored, spending time with him is always so inspiring,” Nadal enthused. On the occasion of this 10-year partnership, Richard Mille now presents an anniversary model that once again surpasses all previous models. It’s also probably more than we ever imagined how much a watch could cost.
RM 27-04 Tourbillon Raphael Nadal
The latest model weighs only 30 grams including the strap. Although the first RM 27 model in 2010 was 10 grams lighter, the new RM 27-04 can handle accelerations in excess of 12,000 grams – a Richard Mille record. By comparison, a Formula 1 driver has around 5 g of acceleration when cornering. Acceleration on the coaster hits 6 grams, and at about 8 grams, an inexperienced driver can lose consciousness. The unique mesh structure, which protrudes into the case like a tennis racket and absorbs vibrations like a tennis string, undoubtedly brings incredible resistance to the watch.
Taking inspiration from the strings of tennis rackets, the movement is supported by a finely radiating mesh structure measuring just 855 square millimeters. It consists of a braided steel wire rope with a diameter of only 0.27mm. Hand-wound tourbillon movement, calibre RM27-04, attached to the grid with the help of five polished grade 5 titanium hooks, starting from the bottom of the movement plate with a 5N gold-plated coating. As with winding, the watchmaker first pulls all the longitudinal strings and then crosses the cross strings so that the thread passes above and below the longitudinal strings. The splints and bridges are made of an alloy of 90% grade 5 titanium, 6% aluminium and 4% vanadium, with a black PVD coating. Super hard alloys ensure particularly smooth running of the wheel train,
a special case
For the first time, the case of the new RM 27-04 is made of “TitaCarb”, which is sandblasted and polished. This high-performance polyamide is reinforced with 38.5% carbon fiber; the addition of carbon gives “TitaCarb” a special tensile strength (370 MPa or 3,700 kg/cm). As a result, the material is not only nearly as resistant to breakage as steel, but also resistant to moisture and temperature, perfectly suited to the demands of a player like Rafael Nadal for a watch. The case is water resistant to 50 m thanks to two nitrile O-rings, assembled by eight grade 5 titanium spline screws and 316L stainless steel washers. fashion replica watches
feature
Brand: Richard Mille
Model: RM 27-04 Tourbillon Raphael Nadal
Reference: RM 27-04
Case material: TitaCarb® – exclusive to Richard Mille
Aspects: Diameter: 38.40 x 47.25 mm
Height: 11.40mm
Water resistance: 5 bar (~ 50 m)
Dial: Skeletonized
Strap/Bracelet: Textile Strap
Mobile: RM27-04
Movement Type: Manual
Power reserve: 38 hours (±10%)
Frequency: 21,600 beats/hour (3 Hz)
Function: hours, minutes
